Wikileaks on IB: Not perturbed say agencies

New Delhi, July 11: WikiLeaks recently released a list of documents which showed that Indian Intelligence Agencies were procuring surveillance technology. The documents also suggested that this technology would be aimed at accessing desktops, spy on emails and also intercept mobile calls.

Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing officials however are not too perturbed by this leak and say that the equipment was procured legally and is meant for counter terrorism. There is a need to upgrade technology considering the terrorists are trying to get the better of us, the officer informed OneIndia.

It is a lawful hacking programme

Hacking is a part and parcel of intelligence gathering. There are systems that need to be analysed to see who is doing what which is counter productive to the nation's security. Several 1,000 mails and calls are intercepted each day and this is being done legally, the IB official said.

Intelligence gathering requiring collection of information and data and it is in this regard that the technology was being procured the officer also informed.

In this day and age where mails are being sent in an encrypted form, it is necessary to have the best of technology at our disposal. The intelligence agencies also have other wings which track illegal financial transactions.

These are transactions which include both parking of black money abroad and also funding of terror. Hence it it becomes important to track emails and phone calls. However each of these activities is being done legally, the officer also added.

Further the officer also added that these leaks would not affect their programme in any way. The programme will not be shut down in the event of these leaks. We are only upgrading our cyber fighting capabilities, the officer also added.

The IB official also added that terrorists upgrade technology every second and hence to be in the game there is a need for the Intelligence to do the same.

What Wiki leaked?

The emails that were leaked by WikiLeaks suggests that a hacking team was contacted by a firm in India to submit a proposal for the Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Division. The mail read, " we are in touch with the Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Division and have been told that it does not have enough resources to track and monitor mobile signals."

Further according to the mails, a team travelled to Chennai to give a presentation on the Remote Control system in the year 2011. There are also other mails to suggest a meeting in Hyderabad too for the same purpose.

There are various such mails which show that the intelligence was in the process of procuring technology from some firms over the past several years.

In the past few years the Indian intelligence has been constantly trying to upgrade technology. The web has become a very dangerous place and since the 9/11 attacks what the world has witnessed that crime emerges out of the internet.

Hence it is necessary that intelligence agencies not only in India, but across the world have to be one up on their game.

OneIndia News